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Jishol
The ancient school of Jishol, long held to be a font of enlightenment on Yantir, has fallen into evil and darkness along with the rest of Old Turai. Ruled by sorcerers and warlocks consumed with their own ambition, the school has become a wellspring of fear for the peoples of the surrounding provinces. Characterised above all else by their Blood Magic, the Jisholi Seers peer deep into the past and the future, looking for ways to overcome their peers and even their mortality. Few in number, but feared throughout the Thrones, their peculiar settlement has practically become a pilgrimage for psions and sorcerers of dubious intentions but ceaseless ambition. History Founding Due to its inhospitable location, straddling the border between the southern ash wastes and the ceaseless dunes of the eastern desert, Jishol was deemed a perfect candidate to isolate and train the mages and psions of Old Turai. Vast black towers of basalt were erected in the wastes, protected from the worst of the elements by powerful spells. Here the most promising of Turai's students would go, learning from master arcanists invited from across Yantir and Etan. The schools of Jishol were admired widely for their findings and discipline, and despite their remote location many masters and apprentices alike traveled to the black towers for wisdom. Corruption in Solitude As the days of Old Turai waned, the schools of Jishol became increasingly neglected by the ruling elite. Seen as isolated, introverted and unwilling or unable to help resolve the problems in the east, the mages of Jishol were considered an extravagance of a more prosperous time. What the kings of the Golden Throne did not realise, however, is that sections of Jishol had long fallen into a darkness bred of negligence. Sorcerers delved into the mysteries of the dead, while Warlocks imposed their will on the living. In secret, grim experiments were carried out on unwilling hosts. Demons were summoned and monsters were created. Secession By the time the corruption within Jishol became clear, it was too late. Immediately the advisers from Jishol that had counselled the kings of Old Turai were banished back to the schools, the Golden Throne preoccupied with the eastern nomads and hopeful that the mages would simply starve in their towers, or consume themselves in their own blasphemies. One among their number, master Khadodad, a leading arcanist from Jishol and a specialist in the art of divination, was furious at this decision, seeing the Golden Throne as weak and failing, unable to stand without the might of Jishol's magic. Upon returning to the schools he summoned his students and, warning them that their days of peaceful isolation may be at an end, he implored them to join with him in delving deep into the future, searching for the problems that would plague Jishol and threaten its mages. Months past and ritual after ritual failed as the barbarian tribes pressed against the eastern border. Finally, after succumbing to a fury borne of his own impotence, Khadodad had over five hundred slaves executed as the foci for a grand divination ritual, the details of which he had worked on in secret for years previously. Driven mad by the endless paths of the future, Khadodad vanished during the ritual, ascending (or descending) to some realm between. Whether the ritual was a success or not, the Jisholi mages claimed that had divined the future, and that by standing with the Golden Throne they would doom themselves. Declaring independence, they abandoned Old Turai to its fate. Khadodad's Legacy In truth, Khadodad's ritual was a pyrrhic victory for the mages of Jishol. Although costly in lives, the ritual had indeed allowed the mages to glimpse the future with surprising accuracy. When the eastern nomads spilled into Turaian lands, the mages knew exactly where and when they would strike and were thus able to feed information to the Turaian troops, skillfully diverting the war from their lands. When the dust settled and Old Turai was no more, the Jisholi mages counted their survival as a victory. However, such supremacy was short-lived. The visions faded, and the mages were once again left alone, out-numbered and unsure of their survival. Khadodad's example thus led them into realms of magic that only the truly depraved venture. Blood magic, necromancy, sacrifices. These are the hallmarks of Jishol. Population Breakdown Total Population: '20'000 '''Percentage in Slavery: ' 65% '''Races: * Humans - 40% * TIeflings - 20% * Snakemen -15% * Ratfolk - 15% * Dragonborn - 10% Structure and Politics The Ghost of Khadodad The spectre of Khadodad haunts the visions of the Seers of Jishol, appearing into many of their visions as either a grim onlooker or a raving madman. How Khadodad survived his ritual, or the reasons for his haunting are unknown, but his ghost has plagued many of the Seers in Jishol, tormenting them as they study events yet to come. Outside of visions the spectre can sometimes be seen roaming the basalt halls, or standing alone in a sand or ash storm, gazing at the black towers in fury.The true nature of the spirit that haunts Jishol is never revealed to anyone below the ranks of Vashka, but the spectre is nonetheless a persistent and frightening aspect of life in Jishol. The Seers At the pinnacle of the Jisholi hierarchy are the Blood Seers. Mages of immense power, their shahriva bowls are filled with the blood of sacrifices. Allegedly able to skim and flit through the future, they search for threats to Jishol and to themselves. Rarely leaving the enclosed studies of their towers, each Blood Seer aspires to the greatness of Khadodad, even if it means removing another of their kind. Blood Seers generally garner their own followings, and most of the free population of Jishol is aligned to one or more Blood Seers, who they believe will not only impart some of their power and wisdom, but keep their loyal supporters safe from the scheming of Jishol or the threats beyond the borders. Vaskha The Vaskha stand directly below the Seers. Powerful mages and psions in their own right, they look after the interests of the Seer throughout Jishol and abroad. Often travelling with a cohort of lesser mages, slaves and pupils, the Vaskha are the most visible of the Jisholi mages, commanding fear wherever they tread. In times of war and battle, the Vashka organise the ranks of undead, driving them forward into battle and devising cold, calculating strategies to win the day. Given their small numbers, the Vashka know when to retreat back to their black towers, and rarely are any wounded or killed in battles or skirmishes, preferring instead to leave their slaves, and sometimes pupils, to fight to the last alone. Pupils Whether the child of a Jisholi mage, a talented slave spared from sacrifice, or an eager recruit who made the journey into the wastes in search of power, the pupils of the Vashka and Seers are the most numerous of the free peoples in Jishol. Commanding average, if well-honed, levels of magic, they are the frontline mages in the battles with Mhedi, and the overseers of Jishol's more mundane aspects. Raiding, enslaving, trading and researching are the tasks of the pupils, and between them there are endless rivalries, beatings and even murders as they claw their way to their master's affection. Slaves The unfortunate many who fall victim to Jishol's raids or purchases face a life (and death) of hardship, labour and sacrifice. Although usually kept alive for their services, many are put to death in the bloody rituals that maintain Jishol's safety and power. Those who die are raised as undead servants, kept on ceaseless patrols around Jisholi territory, and brought together when the Seers deem the time to be right to undertake another raid of skirmish. Foreign Relations Turai - Hostile: If Turai is a carcass, Jishol is the vulture. Descending from the wastes during the night, Jisholi warbands, usually only containing one or two mages, seize as many as they can to carry back to their black towers. Turai has neither the forces nor leadership to fight back against these incursions, and in many cases a system of tribute is set up to placate the mages. Mhedi - Hostile: The forces of Mhedi, although spread out and difficult to control, consist of the greatest threat to Jishol, and thus the object of their wrath and paranoia. Although large battles are infrequent, skirmishes are commonplace, and given the low numbers of Jisholi willing to commit to a campaign, and the reticence of the Wyrm Queen to commit forces into the wastes, it appears the war has no sign of diminishing. Gandara - Neutral: Jishol relies on Gandara for slaves and manpower, and often large shipment of human cattle are smuggled through Turaian lands on their way to Jishol. Although the Gandarans turn a blind eye to the fate of these slaves, relations between the two provinces rarely rise above lukewarm. Sekelbeh - Neutral: Too far away to be of use, and ruled by monstrous creatures that fill the Seers with fear and doubt, Jishol prefers to pretend Sekelbeh does not exist, and for their part, Sekelbeh's leaders seem too busy feasting to notice. The Nerevic Empire - Although some Jisholi warbands penetrate Nerevic borders in search of slaves, the status quo is that the two powers ignore one another. This suits the Nerevic Empire just fine, since some of their most revered teachers in Sadrith and Uvirith follow the disciplines and training that were inherited from Jishol before it split from Old Turai. As such, acknowledging Jishol's perversion would cast doubt on some of its own institutions, although many in the Temple see House Sarotha as treading the same path as Jishol once did. Category:Yantir Category:Location